EU Parliament report says regime change needed in Russia, recommends Brussels launch propaganda TV channel to help it happen The document, on which MEPs had an opportunity to offer suggestions earlier this month, claimed that “the situation in Russia is deteriorating dreadfully because of President Putin’s systemic repression of democratic forces,” citing a large number of arrests at unauthorized protests held in January. It also explosively alleged that, in the lead up to parliamentary elections later this year, Putin is “waging a war against the people of Russia” that could worsen as the results come in. A poll published on Tuesday found that the Russian leader has the support of around 56% of voters, while each of the potential opposition candidates polled in single figures. One tool in the EU’s arsenal to target “Russian propaganda” and bring about the transition it wants to see would be, according to the report, “the establishment of a Free Russia Television with 24/7 airtime.” With declining audience figures for traditional media, quite why a conventional TV channel pushing out the EU’s talking points would change the landscape in Russia is unclear, given that other state-run broadcasters like America’s RFERL and Britain’s BBC offer similar services already. Furthermore, the presence of a large number of Russian-language news sites and YouTube channels that take a critical stance of the government means that there is no shortage of access to opposition-leaning coverage. At the same time, the committee puts forward a number of extreme steps that it says the bloc should take. It insists that Brussels “must be prepared not to recognize the parliament of Russia and to ask for Russia’s suspension from international organizations with parliamentary assemblies if the 2021 parliamentary elections in Russia are recognized as fraudulent.” The EU’s concern for Russian democracy comes amid warnings that the governments of two of its member states, Hungary and Poland, are undermining civil rights and personal liberties at home, while their ruling parties consolidate their grip on power. Over the course of last year, amid increasing political tensions, trade between the bloc and Russia fell by 21%, bottoming out at $219 billion, down from $417 billion. Brussels has since imposed sanctions against a number of Russian officials for their supposed role in the jailing of opposition figure Alexey Navalny, and alleged “human rights violations” in the policing of subsequent protests. https://www.rt.com/russia/524149-regime-change-brussels-propaganda-channel/ Back |
Links Search |
||||||
|